Abundance of Indian honey bee, Apis cerana cerana at different altitudes in hilly areas of uttarakhand, India

Apis cerana carana was found at all the selected altitudes i.e 500 msl -2500 msl. Maximum numbers of bee hives were observed at 1600-2000 msl followed by lower altitude 1000-1500 msl. highest and lowest elevations have low bee population. distribution of honey bee at various elevations indicated that more than 75 per cent bee fauna was found in the range of 1000-2000 msl. Area under temperate fruits cultivation i.e. apple, pear, peach, apricot, almond and malta harbored highest percentage of honeybee population (43.57 per cent) followed by the area of higher river valley agroecosystem (31.45 per cent) where sarso, raye, lemon, coriander and barbery constituted the major bee flora. Forest fire plays important role in inhibiting the honey bee population in low river ally areas. Majority of area is occupied by thick pine forest solely suffered by forest fire in summers. In contrast at highest elevation (above 2500 msl) with the area frequently covered with mist accompanied by low temperature, the bee population is low and flowering period is short.